Sri Lanka the land of precious gems is rich in gem lore and gem discoveries. Most of our precious discoveries are from alluvial deposits and so we can proudly, say that when it comes to tough gems we still are unequalled. Alluvial deposits have to be differentiated from in-situ deposits. In-situ means they came from the source from which they originated. Alluvial means they have come a far away after breaking away from the source. They may have traveled miles and miles of rough terrain being buffeted by rough winds carrying heavy torrents of water, falling down to crush upon rocks. Much of the earth gets crushed and powdered but tire gems !!

These beauties that are tough to go through these tremen¬dous tests of air, water and earth movements and survive in odd shapes rarely the crystal shapes they originated from-but mostly as rolled water worn pebbles. Any gem dealer will tell you these gems are real toughies!!

If they have gone through such acid tests-don’t you think we should be rather kind to these beauties who come into our possession? So, I will tell you a few things about caring for your gems set in jewelry and gems in your collection that come from Sri Lanka and frankly other countries too. But my article deals mainly with gems found in Sri Lanka.

Diamond: Although this gem is not found in Sri Lanka usu¬ally, there is one record of a discovery of the same - so I will spend a little time with diamond. The hardest gem on earth, it is tough, brilliant and durable but strangely it is also very deli¬cate when attacked in certain areas it can cleave! it is also a fine magnet for all grime and grease! Also It can have strange consequences when kept in rubbing proximity to other dia¬monds. So, to keep your diamonds unscratched, separate it from other diamonds end keep other gems away from your diamonds.

Don't use chemicals to clean or ultrasonic cleaning devices. The fracture filled diamonds have come to stay, better not subject your diamond to the test till you check out your gem. Use grease cutting detergents to clean your diamonds.

Garnets: These are resistant to most chemicals but sudden heat changes can cause fracture to your garnet jewelry. Use warm sudsy water to clean them and they are often friendly to ultrasonic cleaning. Keep away from stones of greater hardness. beware of Diamonds.

Quartz: Amethyst, citrine, rutillated quartz and agate all belong to the quartz family. Use warm water. They clean well in soap. Steamers are risky arid avoid acide.

Ruby & Sapphire: Corundum group has all colors, but these are the best known members apart from padmaraga. They are color stable except for yellow stones from the sapphire range. Some oranges also can be affected by heat. So do not keep them in places where heat from the sun falls. Mechani¬cal cleaning should be avoided as they may be fracture filled. Check before you clean.

Star stones of the corundum group:
Can be cleaned as with sapphires and ruby with warm sudsy water or mild chemicals as said earlier. Check to see if they are enhanced to get better color or filled as they are hard and does not cleave. Unless they are carelessly handled, they are fairly tough and safe.

Spinel: some of the easiest gems to clean. Hard tough and does not react to chemicals. Ammonia, most cleaners or soap and warm water will do the trick!

Topaz: Imperial Topaz, a golden orange is the most valuable. Sri Lanka has mostly white that turn blue on irradiation and light blue and yellow occasionally. These beauties need careful handling due to cleavage. Tough hardness is quite good. 8 on Mohr Scale. it has cleavage directions and stones are known to split along these directions. Also exposure to heat can cause color change that may be unpleasant. Stones can break when exposed to changes in temperature. Clean with mild detergent. Rub with a tooth brush. if areas are stubbornly holding grease. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended.

Tourmaline: Comes in a variety of shades. Bi-colors are yet to be discovered in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has green or brown. Other shade are less common. These can be cleaned easily as they do not react to chemicals. But avoid high heat which can alter color. Also sudden temperature changes can cause fracture. Both these conditions are unusual but they can hap¬pen. So beware of them.

Chrysoberyl: Yellowish Green, brownish yellow. The chatoyant variety of this is more expensive than any other chatoyant variety. Its appeal is due to the moving eye which is more charismatic than the eye of any gem and is clear and well defined. Cut en-cabochon as in star stones, cleaning of this is easy.

Alexandrite: is a variety of chrysoberyl where the best quality is green in day light and red in tungstone light. The color change has made it one of the most priced gems and the care is same as in other chrysoberyl. A lot of gems of Sri Lankan origin are fairly tough and easy to clean.

Apatite: A bright soft gem contrary to the fact Sri Lanka stones are tough. It comes in different colors. Gem apatite is not common. Never expose them to acids or use a steamer or chance ultrasonic cleaning.

Diopside: Best known for four rayed star in a black green body color. Poor toughness. is sensitive to high heat, so do not expose it to high temperature. Stable to light.

Peridot: Green stone need care as it can cleave. As it has low hardness, it can be scratched when in contact with harder substances. Keep away from such contact. Care in handling, avoid acids. Use a soft brush. Rinse dry, avoid sudden temperature changes.

Zircon: Bubadamantine in luster. The wide color range of these colors make it an ideal gem stone for a set of jewelry.

Do not store theme abrasing each other as they wear out eas¬ily. It is called 'paper wear’. Use cotton wool with the stone paper. Although known to be radioactive. the levels are very low and not at all harmful. So you can wear them. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. No is subjecting it to sudden changes of heat as color can change.
The gems 1 have dealt with are the ones originating in Sri Lanka. These are the valuable ones or common ones but not all the stones have been dealt with. This article is not com¬plete without a reference to the metal in which those gents are set.

Silver: Though this was a popular medium for diamond jewelry, the use of platinum resulted in silver edging out of precious jewelry settings. The fact that silver tarnishes and discolors also resulted in it's loosing much of it's former popu¬larity. There are still people who hold this metal in high es¬teem. In cleaning. please note that silver can get dented or bent easily and liquids can be used to remove tarnishes. Ammonia is not recommended. Soft clearing cloth is safe.

Platinum: Now increasingly used and is chemically stable though some what soft 4 - on Mohr scale. Sudsy diluted ammonia cleaners can be used an both platinum and gold.

Gold: The most popular of metal for setting. The purest form of 24cts has a hardness of 2 - 3. the higher the purity. the softer the metal. Avoid wearing jewelry in swimming pools as they can be attacked by chlorine. Gold may not tarnish, but the alloy in it will be. Clean as in platinum.

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